bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

additionalInfoBoxes

quizIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

SCMP Reporter

Pole to Pole by Michael Palin

Who is Michael Palin?

Michael Palin achieved fame in the United Kingdom as a comedian. He was a member of the team who created the  funny TV show, Monty Python's Flying Circus,   which made him famous around the world. He now writes books and presents TV  programmes.

He has a  cheerful personality. His background in comedy enables him to see the funny side of situations, and he can strike up relationships easily with strangers. That is why he is so successful in presenting travel programmes.

What kind of book is this?

This is a book based on a  TV series. Palin starts from the North Pole and travels all the way to the South Pole. The journey took him five months through 17 different countries. He rode on ships, trucks, rafts, buses, horse-drawn carts, balloons and bicycles - to name just a few!

He went through every climate zone in the world, from the snow and ice of the Arctic and Antarctic to the stifling heat and deserts of Africa. The book  describes his adventures and the people he met.

Use the photographs

This book is very long,  so you might be  reluctant to tackle it. However, it is full of beautiful and interesting photographs. The photos not only make the book more enjoyable, they also provide clues to help you  understand the text.

The book also describes the different episodes in his journey. You can skip  some parts if they are boring  and pick up the journey again later in the book.

Three episodes you will like

Day 31: Novgorod

On this day, Palin is in Russia and meets a filmmaker called Edward Ranenko. He has dinner with Ranenko  and his friends, and it is revealed

that his host makes his own vodka - a strong

Russian liquor.

Palin describes how they have to drink  toasts in honour of all the people present, only a few of whom speak any English. Needless to say, they all get  drunk!

This episode  highlights one of the great pleasures of travel: meeting new people, making new friends and sharing warmth and friendship.

It also shows Palin's ability to capture details that make the incidents so memorable.

For example, 'Edward's illegal vodka is served with slivers of garlic in it from a litre Coca-Cola bottle ... with two fresh-picked cherries to be placed in the mouth before each glass.' Yuch!

Day 65: Wadi Halfa to Atbara

Palin is travelling through Egypt by a train called the Nile Valley Express. It is an old, wooden train that crosses the empty desert on a track first laid in 1897. It is  very hot, and Palin does what the Egyptian travellers do: he climbs up and travels on the roof of the train.

He describes some wonderful moments that capture the  mood of the journey. A man passes along the roof of the train selling  tea from a kettle. A man falls off the roof while he is asleep, and the train reverses for half a mile to pick him up. Palin reminds us that hardships make the best stories, and that a little bit of danger adds spice and interest.

Day 125: Johannesburg

This city in South Africa has very wealthy parts. It also has one of the most famous shanty-town areas in the world called Soweto. Palin talks to both the rich and the poor who live in those areas.

You may have heard of  the country's former apartheid  system, whereby white people dominated blacks and denied them basic human rights.

Nelson Mandela   fought against this system and became the first president of modern South Africa.

This episode illustrates another aspect of this book. You can learn a lot about the geography and history of the world in an enjoyable way.  It will awaken a sense of adventure and curiosity about  what's happening around you, and will certainly make you want to visit the countries Palin describes.



Learn about the world  through travelling